The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-04-18
An Unhealthy Sign.

An Unhealthy Sign.
1t is not generally known, perhaps, that
the Southern Spiritualists' Association owns
twenty acres of land on the summit of Look
out Mountain, and that every summer a
months camp meeting is held there. The
president of the association is a prominent
business man of Chattanooga. The mem
bers are scattered through half dozen
States and many of them are people of
wealth and cultivation.
The camp meeting on Lookout isat tended
by large number of Spiritualists Most
of them are members OF the association, but
there are always some in attendance from
the North and West. The daily exercises
consist of addresses, generally aimed against
the Christian religion, and of mediumistic
tests. Famous mediums from all parts of
the country reap a golden harvest.
Those who are not Spiiitualists cannot I'M
derstand the unquestioning faith with which
men and women of apparent sound sense and
undoubted culture accept the pretended
revelations of professional mediums The
most unblushing frauds are practiced and
always at a pecuniary loss to the dupes. 1t
sometimes occurs that medium is exposed
but the Spiritualists refuse to credit the
evidence of their own senses and blindly
go on permitting themselves to be de-
frauded. The unquestioning faith of Spir-
| itualists is due to an abnormal develop
ment of the supelStitious element in their
natures One entirely free from superstition
could never be a Spiritualst 1t is true
that Spiritualists claim that their faith is
founded upon the laws of nature and that it
J is susceptible Of scientific explanation; but
an mbehever who hears Spiritualist at
tempt TO explain his faith will speedily be
| convinced that it is nothing but nonsense.
| 1t is a fact that the Spnitualists are in
creasing. The Southern Association is by
no means the only organization of the kind
in the country. Every section has similar
organization. and in the North and West
| quite a number of Spiritualist temples have
been built The increase is not healthy
| sign, for while heterodoxy is not always to
| be condemned when it takes the form of a
faith founded upon superstition it is evil
dence that something is wrong, both in the
| spiritual and the intellectual education of
those who accept such faith
The number of contested election cases in
the Fiftieth Congress is eight. In the
| Fourth Alabama district Alexander c. Dat
wilson Democrat will contest for the seat
of J. V. McDuflIe Republican,. In the
| Sixth California district j. G. Lynch Demo
craft seeks the seat OF William Vandever
| Republican,. In the Tenth Illinois district
Nicholas E. Worthington Democrat wants
the seat of Philip S. Post (Republicanl. In
the Twelfth Indiana district Robert Lowry
| Democrat asks for the seat of james b.
| White Republican,. In the Sixth Ken
lucky district c. H. Thoebe labor candi-
date contests for tho seat Of John G.. Car
Isle Democrat In the Ninth Missouri
| district, Nathan Frank (Republican) is after
the seat Of John NJ. Glover Democrat. In
the First New Hampshire district, Martin
A. Haynes Republican, desires the seat of
Luther +. Mckinney Democrat. In the
Seventh South Carolina district, Robert
Smalls colored Republican, will try to oh
tain the seat of William Elliott Democran.
The law relating TO contested election cases
is deficient, because it does not require that
the Clerk Of the House shall be notified of
the contest. The first official information
he gets Of a contest is the testimony sent
him in connection with the case.
The case Of Agnes Folsom in New York.
which attracted so much att, .tion a couple
Of weeks ago, has ended in nothing so far as
getting Miss Folsom out Of the clutches of
DR.. Cate is concerned. 1t seems that the
father of the girl ordered the proceedings to
be dismissed on the ground that Mrs. Fol
som was on the verge of insanity, but doubt
less the real cause was that he found that
nothing could be accomplished The girl is
of age, and the pretense that she was out of
her mind and was restrained of her liberty
had no foundation whatever In fact, it is
not yet very clear what the real trouble be-
tween the girl, her arents and DR.. Cate was
The parents charge that DR.. Cate, while
acting as their daughters physician, gained
a wonderful influence over her, which he
used improperly when she recovered her
health. They also insisted that the girl was
out Of her mind and that the doctor kept her
locked in his hou~a There doesn't seem 70
be any doubt that the girl stayed at the doe
tors house hut the indications are TINT she
wanted to stay. II also seems that She was
not ON good terms with her parents The
chicf interest in the case grew out Of the
statement that The girl Is a cousin OF Mrs
Cleveland. The statement may not boz well
founded.
Fifty cifl1eus ~ Mnearhumih have
nlHpna eEetittpa "a d. Aiary walker 90 De-.
's4nf ealN|slaif ~ tlaf Vice Presidency,
Ia ~ niI wait un|H q pnfiy grows